MLO 5: Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion
5.1. Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.
Before I went to study in Japan I really didn't know what to expect. I was not confident in my Japanese ability and was worried I
would not gain the full benefit of studying abroad. I really hoped that I could improve my level
and make new friends while I was there with Japanese students. At first I was
spending a lot of time with other native English speakers and their friends.
But by doing this I was able to understand more and practice Japanese without too
much stress. This gave me the confidence to branch out on my own and make my
own circle of Japanese friends.
Tokyo was an amazing city to be placed in. Not only was it a
modern city with fascinating landscapes and people, but it was also rich with
temples and historical sites. Within a ten minute walk of where I lived there
were thirty different temples and shrines. One of my favorite things to do on
weekends was to take the train to a station I had never been to before, then
walk back home. These wild trips were full of adventure and wonder for me. I
never knew what I would see or experience. Traveling like this gave me the
opportunity to visit many temples, many of them deserted. It seemed crazy to me
that inside one of the biggest cities in the world there could be these havens of
quiet and wonder. I wanted to explore even more of the city but it was just too
massive to see all of it in the time I had. I would say I explored around 2% of
Tokyo. I can’t wait to go and explore more, not just of Tokyo but other places
in Japan.
5.1 Everything in Japan wasn’t perfect for me however. There were many times when I was alone, hence the urban exploration. My Japanese friends would be excited to hang out or go somewhere fun with me. The problem I found though was that time scales for Japanese people are very different than Americans. When I want to hang out with my friends in America I call them and ask what they are doing tonight or this weekend. If they are busy we usually reschedule for a few days later, at most the next weekend. In Japan If I had plans to do something fun it was impossible to get anyone to go with me spontaneously. If I wanted to go out with a group of friends I had to ask them at least three weeks in advance. It seems to me that social calendars are more in use in Japan. So to combat this problem I bought myself a day planner and went around to all my friends and booked their future free time. This helped me set up a cycle of hanging out with different friends and keeping busy. Once I got into the flow of invitation and declining of offers it was easy to have an active social life. I feel as if my time spent in Japan helped me to internalize and connect with the culture like never before. When I look back at who I was before I went to Japan and who I was after coming back I realize how much my experience changed me. The people I’ve met and the places I went in Japan have really changed me more than anything else in my life.
Below I have a link to the blog I kept while in Japan. It is filled with many pictures but if you want to skim through I usually put the best pictures first and last.
5.1 Everything in Japan wasn’t perfect for me however. There were many times when I was alone, hence the urban exploration. My Japanese friends would be excited to hang out or go somewhere fun with me. The problem I found though was that time scales for Japanese people are very different than Americans. When I want to hang out with my friends in America I call them and ask what they are doing tonight or this weekend. If they are busy we usually reschedule for a few days later, at most the next weekend. In Japan If I had plans to do something fun it was impossible to get anyone to go with me spontaneously. If I wanted to go out with a group of friends I had to ask them at least three weeks in advance. It seems to me that social calendars are more in use in Japan. So to combat this problem I bought myself a day planner and went around to all my friends and booked their future free time. This helped me set up a cycle of hanging out with different friends and keeping busy. Once I got into the flow of invitation and declining of offers it was easy to have an active social life. I feel as if my time spent in Japan helped me to internalize and connect with the culture like never before. When I look back at who I was before I went to Japan and who I was after coming back I realize how much my experience changed me. The people I’ve met and the places I went in Japan have really changed me more than anything else in my life.
Below I have a link to the blog I kept while in Japan. It is filled with many pictures but if you want to skim through I usually put the best pictures first and last.
- Language – Photographs in this section include attitudes about your own language, insider relationships for those who speak a foreign language, decisions related to which language is used, and how to speak in ways that others will understand you.
Language is more than just speaking. It is about body language like smiles, frowns, tears, body posture, and contact. My first post in my blog about my first baseball game in Japan contains a lot of this non verbal language like smiles and body contact. It was so fun and inviting to be surrounded by strangers but feel accepted with no words exchanged. - Environment – Photographs in this section show physical reality such as size, surroundings, population density, climate, food, topography, etc.
My trip to Kyoto was really fun because it is a very different city compared to Tokyo. It was raining almost the whole time but it made the surroundings somehow more beautiful. The pictures I took there are some of my favorite because of the beautiful backdrops that I saw there. - Social Organization – This refers to how society is put together. This includes family, education, role of women, class systems, individualism, religion, etc.
I did a home stay with one other exchange student. Those two days were amazing and so much fun. The family I stayed with had two young daughters and we went for a trip to a BIG children's park. It was interesting to see the interactions in this family and how much love there was. There was a lot of gender specific actions that happened like who took a bath first in the house and who did the cooking. Some pictures on my blog are of my 4 year old host sister making me rice balls for breakfast! - Context – This refers to how directly people communicate ideas and words versus how important it is to build a “context” within that communication. Low context cultures focus on the actual words that are spoken, the rules that are written. Those words and rules determine appropriate behavior. High context cultures focus on the situation and shared knowledge, which is what will determine appropriate behavior.
I have pictures of me hanging out with my Japanese friends at various drinking establishments. Japan is a very high context culture, therefore it is important to read the mood of your surroundings. When drinking with people each action you take like pouring a drink for someone next to you, or offering the last piece of food is an act of respect. Sure you could pour your own drink or take the last piece of chicken but you will have much better relationships if you look at the context behind the actions. In this way Japanese culture is both exciting and difficult to master. Putting others before you is the height of social correctness. - Authority – This category deals with the role of authority figures and how power and decision making is accomplished. Authority also looks at leadership style and the relationship between bosses and their subordinates.
Authority in Japan is very deeply related to the fact that it is a deep context culture. Just like drinking with your friends, drinking with a boss or a teacher has different rules behind it. The pictures of me drinking with me teacher show some of this. Authority figures in Japan are responsible for their subordinates. The subordinates do what their boss says and then rely on him to take care of them. I would often drink with my teachers and serve them their drink of choice. Often the would pay for the drinks that I had as well as their own. This hierarchy pattern is very formal and can seem rigid but in reality can hide a very deep and personal relationship. - Non-Verbal – The category includes everything from dress and adornment to colors, touch, smell, and the quality of one’s voice.
The fireworks that I saw when I got to Japan were amazing. They were the best that I have ever seen. People would gather in the tens of thousands to see them. The explosions followed by the thunder were fantastic. The smell of gunpowder and the falling rain of ash were truly unique experiences. - Time – This category refers to how people divide time, how they schedule their activities, and how they organize their day.
Time is funny in Japan. People seem so busy all the time with different obligations. But there always seems to be a little time for relaxation and fun. Going to the park and just laying in the grass with my friends was so much fun. One of my first memories of Japan is going to Yoyogi park and having a good time with people I had just met. we spent all day there but I feel as if it went by so fast.